Tracks from 'A Vagrant's Whim' (2010, Utupuu) by Joonatan Elokuu
The album is a collection of songs composed during various seaside drop-outs in India, France, Spain and Portugal (2008-2010) and finally recorded & finished once safely back home in Finland (...after a perilous journey through the Balkans & East Europe, including desperate hitchhiking and traveling with a French circus troupe...but that's another story, folks!)
The songs here are presented in a rather stripped-down and raw form; compared to the debut album 'Mushroom Heart' (2009), the instrumentation on 'A Vagrant's Whim' is much more dependant on just guitar & voice. Other instruments include cittern, harmonica, melodica, sitar, indian harmonium and portuguese guitar.
Released through Utupuu, limited to 300 hand numbered copies.
Phil McMullen from Terrascope wrote:
"Staying in Scandinavia, it was good to receive the latest full-length limited edition release from Finland’s Joonatan Elokuu, entitled “A Vagrant’s Whim”. For the most part this follows a simple formula of guitar and Elokuu’s soothingly soporific baritone, supplemented here and there by wife Helena on vocals and occasional other accompaniment. There’s not much to choose between the songs, all of which will delight in a lo-fi, late night, mellow sort of way. “Born Again with a Hedgehog Heart” features some sampled dialogue, possibly from a film (now that could be the quiz question this month), and “Nancy” continues with the spoken-word (Elokuu’s this time) while introducing some understated but evocative electronic backing, whilst “Like Christ and Osiris” features sitar and Indian Harmonium (and probably other things). Elokuu’s evidently an interesting and widely travelled chap with many a tale to tell, and this is all very pleasant and a fair enough if not quite essential contribution to the wyrd/alt/psych/whatever folk canon."
Joonatan Elokuu website
Comentaris
Publica un comentari a l'entrada